WELL BRED AMITY GAL BACK WITH A BANG

By Graham Potter | Wednesday, September 7, 2022

Amity Gal was an eye-catching winner at Eagle Farm on September 7, and the progress of the four-year-old mare is likely to attract attention moving forward, not only because of her fluent first-up win, but also because of the interest attracted by her pedigree.

The David Vandyke trained runner is a by Shamus Award out of the Meerlust, making her no less than a full sister to the year older Duais, who is currently and one of the leading Caulfield Cup contenders and already a three-time Group 1 winner.

Those wins of Duais came over 2000m (in the Queensland Oaks and the Australia Cup) and over 2400m in the Tancred Stakes. Duais first two career wins (she has seven wins to her name) came over 1300m and 1600m.

By way of contrast, the lightly traced Amity Gal’s two career victories from her five starts to date have both been over the 1000m trip.

‘She’s too hot to be a stayer,” offered Vandyke, speaking after Amity Gal’s win. ‘She’s got that pace … and she used it today.

“She is a difficult mare. She tests us. She tests us on the ground. She tests us on her back.”

“I have to give full credit to Nathan Wales, her rider back home. He has done an outstanding job. He’s needed the patience of Job … and credit to my staff as well. It has been a real team effort and it is wonderful to see her do that.”

Amity Gal came into this Class 1 Handicap over 1000m first-up after a five month break from race action, but her pervious form was solid enough to see her start favourite at $2.60 … and her supporters had little cause for worry as Amity Gal went about her business in a thoroughly professional fashion.

Ryan Maloney and Amity Gal landed just off the leading line at the break before quietly easing forward into third place as the field started to take the sweep to the turn.

That meant she had the drop on the two leaders, the $101 outsider Takoma Street and Royal Nicci ($5.50) when the field straightened for home.

Tacoma Street fought on for the first half of the straight before weakening, but Royal Nicci wasn’t about to die wondering and the Nicconi mare kicked on gamely.

Maloney and Amity Gal had everything under control though, and, while still racing well within herself, the Vandyke trained runner moved into the lead without any fuss with 100m left to run before going away to win by a 1.75 length margin.

“That was exactly what I wanted to see (in the race),” said Vandyke. “She handled it well. She half switched off. When she peeled out, she put them to the sword … that is what we have been building towards.

“She is twelve months off filling out really.

“I think she can be Black Type but, to get there, she has to continue to build with these good experiences.”

Amity Gal’s record now stands at two wins and two places from only five starts.

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